Spoils of Victory
by Lautari
Summary: Defining moments of one's life can happen in the earliest of morning hours.


_Just a quickie! A little filler that came to mind for my series of stories. Enjoy and review!_

Earth had never been more beautiful than it was after coming so close to sharing Vulcan's fate. Every crew member on the Enterprise had joined Starfleet to essentially join the stars, but after cutting a wild tear through the universe everyone breathed easier when their shuttlecrafts touched down at the Academy on a warm summer afternoon.

That didn't exclude a certain James T. Kirk.

There was so much to comprehend, so much to take care of, and after spending two hours debriefing in a small office on ship, the acting captain of the Enterprise simply wanted to go home. But a hot shower and a firm pillow would have to make do in lieu of his mother's handmade quilts and an Iowa sunset. He winced when the setting sun hit his eyes as he emerged from the shuttle and he found himself getting pushed through the crowd of crew members pouring out onto the landing pad.

"Jim!"

He spun around at the voice and scanned the crowd. They both froze when their eyes met and his whole body sagged, the first sign of his body betraying him since the whole ordeal had ended.

"Carol," he whispered. He had been frantic for her since they had come out of warp on their arrival at Vulcan and saw what was left of half the fleet. He had barely felt Bones' heavy hand grip his shoulder when someone said they thought she had been assigned to the Wilcott. So seeing her alive seemed to do something to him that rendered him unable to move. All he could do was hold out his arms. She ran to him and he caught her in a tight embrace and just held her and buried his face in her neck and breathed her in. "You were supposed to be on the Wilcott," he managed to choke out.

"And you were supposed to be grounded!" she countered shoving him. "I could strangle you!"

Tears were in her eyes and she wiped at them furiously but he caught her small hands and pulled her back to him. "I thought you were dead." He kissed her deeply, almost trying to devour her and she moaned and gripped at his shirt.

"Let's get out of here," she murmured against his mouth.

oooooOOOOOooooo

That night they were too exhausted for sex. Too grief stricken. They simply wrapped their naked bodies together and whispered in the dark until they fell asleep and dawn came again too quickly. Jim had only dozed off and on during the night, waking when Carol rolled away from his touch or when strange noises jolted him awake and he would gather her into his arms and wrap them protectively around her small body. They had never slept so entangled with each other, usually spooning during pillow talk and then rolling out of each other's arms in sleep to find their own comfortable space, but the recent events had Jim needing to touch her.

Quiet knocking woke him in the early morning and he managed to slide his arms out from around her and slip out of bed. He found his pants and pulled the covers up over her bare shoulder before hustling over to the door and slapping the entrance pad. Bones stood on the other side.

"Bones? How…"

"I knew you'd be here." He glanced inside at Carol's sleeping form and then averted his gaze. "Pike's asking for you."

oooooOOOOOooooo

Pike was pushing eggs around on his breakfast plate when Jim arrived at his room in the Medical building and glanced up and smiled when the young man saluted upon entering. "You look about how I feel. Enjoy the spoils of victory last night?"

Jim smiled. "Not really. I didn't sleep as well as I thought I would."

The older man pushed his plate away and folded his hands. "For all that's been accomplished I know it doesn't seem like there is much to celebrate."

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

Pike nodded. "I wanted to be the first to tell you. You've been recommended for captaincy." He cocked his head. "Though I'm sure that doesn't surprise you."

Jim didn't answer.

"Does it surprise you that it will be for the Enterprise?"

Jim's eyes widened. "Sir…."

"You've already broken it in."

Again, Jim didn't answer, but sat in the empty chair next to the older man's bed.

"Do you find yourself hesitating?"

"I just…it came with a steep price." Jim raised his head and looked Pike straight in the eye. "But I want that ship."

"Son, we've all earned our stripes by fire," Pike told him. "You're going to have many more sleepless nights if you accept this commission."

"If?"

"I want you to be sure this is what you want."

"This life is all I've wanted for the past three years."

"Believe me, I know. But I want you to know the cost, Jim," Pike said leaning towards him. "This life…it's going to give you so much. But it's also going to take a lot too. You're younger than any other captain in history. You're going to sacrifice even more."

"I want that ship, sir." Jim repeated stubbornly.

Pike smiled knowingly. "I know. But a ship doesn't warm up your bed for you, Jim…and youth doesn't last forever. One day that ship won't be enough. That's the price. Make sure it's one you want to pay."

oooooOOOOOooooo

Bones was waiting for him when he stepped out of Pike's room. "You look like hell."

"Thanks," Jim snorted making his way to the lift.

"Jim?"

He turned around. "Yeah?"

Bones sighed. "Be careful."

Jim frowned. "I'll see you later," he said before turning back to return to Carol's side before she woke.


End file.
